This study examines the feasibility and desirability of a home care alternative to hospitalization for children with cancer whose cancer control treatment is no longer effective, i.e., children who are dying. Under this option, the parents are the primary providers of their child's care. They are assisted by nurses who consult via telephone and who make home visits as necessary. The child's physician serves as a consultant to the family and nurse and prescribes needed medication, especially analgesics. In the first year of the study, 20 boys and 12 girls died from cancer while participating in home care. Of those 32 participants 27 died at home and 5 reentered and died in the hospital. The mean length of involvement from initial nurse contact to time of death was 32.7 days. For the 27 children who died at home the mean number of home visits was 11.4 for a mean of 2.3 hours each. Total costs for home care are estimated to be $30 to $40 per day. Monetary savings over hospitalization are considerable. All parents involved reported satisfaction with home care and all would choose it again.